Social media platforms including Facebook and TikTok were not available in Gabon on Wednesday after the country’s media regulator announced a suspension “until further notice”, according to AFP journalists and connectivity monitor NetBlocks. NetBlocks said its metrics showed multiple platforms were restricted in Gabon.

The regulator, known as the HAC, said it was acting over security concerns during an anti government labour strike. HAC spokesman Jean-Claude Mendome said social media was carrying “inappropriate, defamatory, hateful and insulting content” and argued it was harming human dignity, public morality, social cohesion and national security. He also cited the spread of false information, cyberbullying and unauthorised disclosure of personal data as reasons for the move.

NetBlocks reported that Facebook, TikTok and WhatsApp were affected, along with YouTube, Instagram and other services.

Presidency Says it is not Permanent

Gabon presidency spokesman Theophane Zame-Nze Biyoghe told AFP the move was “a suspension, not a permanent ban”. The regulator also said freedom of expression and criticism remains a fundamental right in Gabon.

Still, the suspension drew sharp political pushback. Opposition leader Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze described the crackdown as an “incomprehensible” and “disproportionate abuse” of power that he said goes against the constitution. In a Facebook post, he urged civil groups and Gabonese citizens committed to freedom to mobilise against what he called a liberty destroying excess.

Strike Pressure Grows and the Economy Feels it

President Brice Oligui Nguema is facing his first major wave of social unrest less than a year after being elected, with teachers on strike and other civil servants threatening to follow. Teachers began striking in December over pay and conditions, with similar demands spreading to health, higher education and broadcasting sectors.

Lessa Juste, a computer scientist, said social media is an essential tool and explained that the shutdown is hitting the economy because it disrupts people’s work. Gabonese content creator Mister Wils, who has nearly 100,000 TikTok followers, said he could not work anymore.

High Expectations Meet Rising Living Costs

The last major teacher action was in 2022 under former president Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose family ruled Gabon for 55 years. Oligui later overthrew Bongo in a military coup and addressed some teacher concerns during the transition period before winning the April 2025 election by a large margin, raising expectations that living standards would improve.

A wage freeze introduced about a decade ago has left teachers struggling as the cost of living rises. Authorities arrested two prominent figures linked to the protest movement last month. They were later released, but the arrests reportedly left teachers and parents afraid to discuss the strike in public.